Lai

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A family name common in East and Southeast Asia used by many Chinese people

proper noun

: Lai

My name is Lai.
Amy Lai
Sally Lai
Lai Yu

I'd say Min Lai is one of my favorite dudes.

Examples

We sold our house in Lai, moved out of my condo.
So I went to Lai, went to Otis, went to school.
I tell you, Lai is the perfect name for her.

The Transporter (2002)
So I actually, when I first moved to Lai, was a trivia host.
Once I got to, Lai was like, you're here, make it happen.
Feng C. Lai is very active in research and education in both the thermal sciences and heat transfer.

Academic text (2007)
What is the name of Donald's Boba Tea Shop in Lai want to say Kimmy?
Francis Lai's haunting piano strings started up.

The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
My friend, Mr. Lai, comes from a large family in Hong Kong.
Last week, I met the famous author, Anna Lai, at a book signing.

Surface Forms

Lai main

Etymology

The word Lai is a family name common in East and Southeast Asia and often comes from Chinese characters such as 賴 or 黎, which are pronounced 'Lai' in some southern Chinese languages. A helpful way to remember it is to think of Lai like the short surname Lee — both are simple Chinese family names used by many people in places like China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.